The Frontline Health Workers Coalition Advances the Health Workforce Agenda at UNGA80
Each year, global leaders gather in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a pivotal moment for stakeholders to outline priorities, confront global challenges, and advance collective action on global health. On the sidelines of UNGA80, the Frontline Health Workers Coalition– an alliance advocating for increased investments, coordinated action, and pragmatic policies to strengthen all cadres of the health workforce– led dialogue on advancing the roles and interests of the global health workforce.
The Coalition's presence at UNGA week opened with Executive Director Tina Flores’s appearance as a panelist at “Health Without Borders: Building a Global Health Workforce for the Future,” hosted by Devex and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. Tina urged for stronger global cooperation around health systems strengthening, emphasizing that a trained, supported, protected, and fairly compensated health workforce– wherever they may live, regardless of country of origin– is critical to addressing noncommunicable and infectious diseases, safeguarding global health security, and responding to health emergencies.
The Coalition’s high-level event, “A New Vision for the Health Workforce: Addressing NCDs, global health security, and emergencies,” hosted in partnership with Global Communities, CARE USA, Johnson & Johnson, Living Goods, Project HOPE, Seed Global Health, Smile Train, CMMB, Operation Smile, and Partners In Health, garnered more than 300 in-person and virtual attendees across 60 countries. Keynote speakers included the Honorable Attorney Hans Leo Cacdac, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Migrant Workers, and the Honorable Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health of Rwanda. Leaders, funders, advocates, and global implementers exchanged insights on urgent challenges– from health workforce shortages and navigating demands for diversified catalytic financing, to the rising role of digital technology and AI in the care environment. The dialogue served as a reminder of the power of knowledge exchange and collaborative leadership across the sector.
In addition, the Coalition hosted two closed-door roundtables. “Protecting the Mental Health of Health Workers: Resilience and Retention for the Future,” hosted alongside Dartmouth’s Dickey Center for International Understanding, highlighted the intensifying mental health crisis among health workers. Stakeholders explored evidence, tools, policy solutions, and best practices to reduce burnout, combat stress, and strengthen workforce retention. The discussion marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to accelerate collective advocacy and progress around mental health as a workforce priority. Lastly, the Coalition held its annual Executive Roundtable, “Where Do We Go From Here? Leading Global Health and Human Resources for Health during Times of Uncertainty.” Participants emphasized the urgent need for coordinated, country-led strategies to diversify funding sources, invest in and empower the health workforce, responsibly harness AI and digital innovation, and strengthen cross-sector partnerships to sustain progress and impact.
Beyond events, the Coalition successfully coordinated advocacy alongside governments and other stakeholders to influence revisions to the final draft of the Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, which will see final negotiations over its adoption in October. Explore the Coalition website to learn more about our activities at UNGA and ongoing work to champion the global health workforce.